Travelogue: leaving Hamburg behind

North Sea – August 29
Date and time: 29.08.25, 14:00
Location: LAT 54.19°, LON 07.09°
SOG (speed over ground): 12.8 knots
Wind: 19 knots

We left the berth around three o’clock this morning after waiting for tugboats, with pilots changing at each stage of the Elbe. The last stepped off around 09:30, and we made good time through a river busy with sailboats of every size heading upriver. None were particularly large, but there were plenty of them, making for quite a scene.

On board, there are new faces. A second chief mate has joined, along with a polar pilot named Nigel, a Canadian and former rear admiral in the Canadian Navy. He retired young, as they all must, and now consults as a polar expert, taking on a handful of voyages each year. The shift in atmosphere is noticeable when new people come aboard. I’ve been told that it will take a few days for everything to settle.

The crew faces a heavy schedule: just two and a half days to clean all the holds, a job that usually needs more time. On top of that, end-of-month inspections and formalities are due. Everyone will be pitching in.

From here, we will cross the North Sea, curve over the top of Scotland, and then head west toward Greenland. A ballast exchange is planned somewhere along the way before we continue north into Arctic waters. The weather forecast is not especially friendly, with a low front forming over northern Scotland and down the east coast of England. The ship has begun to rock a little already, though the sea still looks calm. We will see what develops. For now, fingers crossed.